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Monday, 7 May 2012

How it all started - a little background!

My journey as a writer began by accident. After I had my first daughter, Ella, I wanted to let her know just how much she meant to me and I wrote a short story all about the meaning of her name (it means fairy maiden by the way!). Then I wrote other stories about other children's names. This was in 2008. I entered a TV Mumpreneur competition on the advice of my friend, Karen, who loved my stories and I got selected! (Thanks Karen!) I didnt win however it made me realise that I did have a talent to write.

Over time I began to write poems and other short stories but struggled to find an agent or publisher so it got put on the back burner for a while.

Then one day I decided I wanted to find some work I could do from home so I joined a freelancer website and began to bid on typing jobs or anything I felt I could do. Purely by chance I spotted a job for a children's writer and I applied for it. There were some very experienced, published writers applying but I decided I had nothing to lose and sent a gutsy application bid.

I got a rejection email and was quite annoyed because of some of the content so I fired off a reply stating how I had more stamina than most and I would continue to work hard to get my writing published. I then received another reply saying that I had in fact been selected and a computer glitch meant that I received the rejection message in error! It does make me laugh when I think about the things I emailed that day. I was already in a bad mood following a turkey collection incident at Sainsburys so I had really vented it out in my message! This was Christmas Eve 2011.

I had a meeting in the New Year with Fergus and his wife, Judith, who live in rural Kent and I began writing two very short stories for him. He liked them and commissioned me to write 6 more stories which were longer. At the beginning he had said that the stories should be about Anastasia and the horses at Boughton Lodge. I quickly developed the character and she became a detective with a new friend she had made, Charlotte. Together they began to solve crimes as Kent's own mounted, junior police force. As things progressed, Fergus' had some fantastic ideas and characters to input and I loved making a story around these.

Once Series I was complete, Fergus asked me to write another 12 books to be Series II. The stories got even longer and I found it incredibly exciting to write and realising how far the characters had come.

I began to feel a bit sad that it was all coming to an end when I received a request from Fergus to write more stories. So Series III and Series IV will happen. I am so excited and cant wait to share my journey with you all and that of Anastasia of course!

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About Me

I am a writer, mostly for children, and have been writing for around 8 years. I
live with my wonderful husband and two beautiful daughters in Kent. My ebooks
about Larry the Liger, Anastasia and the Things With... series are available to download from Amazon www.tinyurl.com/7pgubvz (UK) and
www.tinyurl.com/bwu7rtz (US) My websites can be visited here: